$700 million biotech campus envisioned for Kannapolis

Kannapolis, NC where more than 4000 textile workers missing their jobs in 2003 when the Pillow-tex plant clos will be reborn as a major national center for research and business in nutrition, agriculture, health and biotechnology if California billionaire David H Murdock has his way.

Murdock, proprietor of Dole Food Co., announced ambitious plans in September for a 350-acre research campus intended to bring investments of $700 million, create 5000 technology piece of works and 30,000 supporting jobs, and attract 100 biotechnology companies. As envisioned, the shoot forward would be the largest biotech disentanglement in state history and single of the largest nationwide.

Speaking to a throng of 1,000 state leaders and residents of the Kannapolis area, where he has a next to the first home and owns commercial quality and land, Murdock said construction would begin within three month upon the site of the Pillowtex plant he haves and is tearing down.

"This is the greatest in quantity exciting day ... of my entire life," said Murdock, a vegetarian whose passion for health, nutrition and fitness has left him vigorous and youthful looking at age 82

Murdock will partner with the University of North Carolina a whole which plans to ask the state's General Assembly to invest $16 million in laboratory equipment and then about $25 million annually for ongoing operations one time the research campus is up and running. The throw is supported by House Speaker Jim Black and Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight, who the one and the other attended the announcement.

Three campuses of the UNC System--NC State University, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte--are wait fored to have a major nearness on the campus, along with Duke University.

Murdock said the exhibition would total 1 million square feet of lab and office space and an additional 350000 square feet of retail and residential space. His real estate exhibition company, Castle & Cooke, will manage the project

The disentanglement to be called the North Carolina Research Campus, is wait fored to include:

* An Institute for superiority in Nutrition led by UNC-Chapel Hill that will guidance research in nutrition and its link to obesity, cancer and the brain

* An Institute for Advanced Fruit and Vegetable Science l by the agency of N.C. State University, focusing upon the production of fruits and vegetables in North Carolina and the Southeast

* The Dole Research Institute, specializing in research upon fruits and vegetables and nutrition

* A core research laboratory that will include space for biotechnology companies to rent

* A private science and math high academy for girls

* 700 homes

* A 125-room inn and conference facility for scientific meetings.

Also, Murdock said negotiations were below way with the state Community corporation System to build a 40,000-square-foot training center upon the campus to retrain laid-off textile workers for biotechnology jobs

Laboratory Corp. of America, headquartered in Burlington, has already committed to having a facility upon the campus, and Murdock said other biotechnology companies are being recruited. He said he would invest $100 million of his have a title to money in a venture capital stock to help establish young companies at the campus.

In addition to the planned research campus, Murdock has announced he will build a frozen fruit packaging plant somewhere in the state and a $54 million salad-packaging plant in Gaston County

COPYRIGHT 2005 North Carolina Biotechnology Center

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